Motor vehicle lock cover device

ABSTRACT

A motor vehicle theft deterring device designed to prevent access to the levers which control the operating of the door lock in a vehicle door. A cover strip of rigid material of predetermined length and width to substantially cover the space between the vehicle window glass and the outside panel of the vehicle door is formed with a downwardly extending support strip and a mounting plate at a right angle to one edge of the cover strip, the plate being attached to the sash of the automobile window to prevent the insertion of a rod or similar device to release the lock actuating levers in the vehicle door. In a modified form of the invention, an electrical switch is positioned in the mounting plate and is electrically connected to the horn relay to cause the horn to blow continuously in the lock cover is tampered with and the horn circuit is grounded by movement of the switch.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a theft deterring device to be installed inmotor vehicles such as cars, vans and trucks to prevent an unauthorizedperson from inserting a stiff rod or rigid flat strip of material intothe space between the vehicle door window and the outside panel of thedoor to release the lock actuating levers in a vehicle door. Theinvention provides a rigid strip of material formed to be mounted on thesash of the vehicle window to substantially cover the space between thevehicle window glass and the outside panel of the door at apredetermined distance below the window sill preventing the insertion ofa rigid rod or strip to reach the levers which control the door lock. Ina modification of the invention an electrical switch which is connectedto the horn is installed in the device to cause the horn to blowcontinuously if the device is tampered with in any way.

2. Description of Related Art

The general concept of using angled metal devices to block access tolocks is known, but none has been adapted for mounting or use on a motorvehicle door. For example, both KIRKPATRICK, U.S. Pat. No. 1,863,487 andBARONE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,279,840, disclosing a body member of generallyangle-shaped configuration to provide a shield to prevent the insertionof a celluloid strip or other tool into the crevice between a house doorand jamb to slide the bolt into the unlocked position. In specificreference to motor vehicles, BIERMAN, U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,294, teachesan anti-theft clip for securing a lock cylinder to a car door consistingof panels attached to resilient legs which straddle and hold the lockcylinder, but the device does not protect against the downward insertionof a stiff rod to reach the lock levers. KURTH, U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,868discloses a safety installation for the locking and unlocking of motorvehicle doors which includes a recessed sliding actuating knob coveredby a transparent plate on the top side of the window sill. This deviceappears to require a specially designed door to accommodate the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a device designed to prevent the unauthorizedentry into a motor vehicle by the use of a stiff wire or metal strip toreach and manipulate the levers which extend from the various lockcontrols installed in the door to the door lock and thereby open thelock without the use of a key. In an ordinary vehicle, a thief can reachthe levers by inserting a stiff wire into the space between the vehiclewindow and door panel to push and pull the levers until the lock isreleased.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device which is mountedon the window sash which holds the movable windows in the side doors ofmost motor vehicles. The device comprises a strip of rigid material,referred to as the cover strip, of predetermined length and width tosubstantially cover the space between the vehicle window glass and theoutside panel of the vehicle door and a rigid support strip whichextends downwardly along the length of one edge of the cover strip at aright angle to the cover strip and which is formed with a rigid mountingplate extending downwardly from the center portion of the free edge ofthe support strip at a right angle to the cover strip. The mountingplate is formed with at least two openings through which bolts or otherattaching means are inserted to fixedly mount the plate on to the faceof the vehicle window sash. The height of the mounting plate ispredetermined so that the cover strip is recessed below the window sillwhen the window is closed. The mounted device moves up and down with thevehicle window as the window is raised and lowered either manually bymeans of a hand crank or by means of a solenoid in electrically operatedwindows.

In a modified form of this invention, an electrical switch is mounted inan opening formed in the center portion of the mounting plate. Theswitch is electrically connected to the horn relay which is located inthe motor compartment of the vehicle. If the device is pried away fromthe glass or tampered with, the switch plunger will extend to complete acircuit to the horn relay, causing the horn to blow continuously, thusfrightening a thief away from the vehicle.

Thus, a further object of this invention is to provide a motor vehiclelock cover device which is easy to manufacture and install and can beadopted for use on motor vehicles having doors and windows of varioussizes.

A further object of this invention is to provide a motor vehicle lockcover device which permits the opening and closing of the side windowsin the normal way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the motor vehicle lock cover device;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the device;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view showing a modified form of mountingplate;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged exploded side view of the device mounted on awindow sash;

FIG. 7 is an elevation view of a modified form of the device;

FIG. 8 is an elevation view of the modified form of the device shown inFIG. 7 with a switch secured in the mounting plate;

FIG. 9 is a side perspective, partially sectional view of the modifiedform of the device mounted in a conventional vehicle door, showing onlyparts related to this invention;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view along line 10--10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view as shown in FIG. 10 of the modified form ofthe device after the device has been tampered with, omitting bolts andwindow regulator connections;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the electrical connections used with themodified form of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein throughout the several view likeparts are designated by the same numeral, there is shown in FIG. 1 amotor vehicle lock cover designated generally by the numeral 10. A strip11 of rigid material, such as stainless steel or aluminum, referred toas the cover strip, is formed with a predetermined length and width tosubstantially cover the space 25 between the vehicle window glass 23 andthe outside door panel 21. A rigid support strip 12 is formed to extenddownwardly along the length of one edge of the cover strip at a rightangle to the cover strip 11. The support strip 12 strengthens the coverstrip 11 and prevents the cover strip from being bent or displaced if anintruder inserts a stiff rod into the space between the door panel 21and the window glass 23.

As shown in all of the drawings, the support strip 12 is equal in lengthto the cover strip 11, but it is to be understood that the support stripcan be slightly shorter in length than the cover strip at either or bothends so long as it serves to strengthen the cover strip against bendingby an intruder who is inserting a stiff rod.

A rigid mounting plate 13 is formed to extend downwardly from the freeedge of the support strip 12 at approximately the center portion of thesupport strip and at a right angle to cover strip 11, the face of thesupport strip 12 and mounting plate 13 being in alignment. As shown inFIG. 3, the sectional view of the device has an inverted L-shapedconfiguration. For ease of description, the portion of the mountingplate 13, which is contiguous to the edge of the support strip 12, isreferred to as the upper base 15 while the lower end of the mountingplate is referred to as the lower base 16. The opposed ends of the rigidstrips 11 and 12 extend beyond the ends of the upper base 15 of themounting plate 13 in order to leave the internal area of the vehicledoor as unobstructed as possible, while covering the entire space 25between the outer panel of the door and the window glass. The mountingplate 13, as a whole, need not be exactly centered in respect to thelength of the support strip 12, but is positioned so that the lower baseportion 16 meets the window sash 24 of the vehicle.

The device may be made by precutting a flat rectangular panel of rigidmaterial formed with a mounting plate of predetermined height and widthextending from one edge and then bending the panel at a right anglealong its longitudinal dimension to form two strips at right angles toeach other with the mounting plate extending from one strip.Alternatively, the device may be made in separate pieces which areattached by welding or other means.

The mounting plate 13 is formed with a plurality of openings 17 drilledto receive bolts 18 which are used to secure the mounting plate 13 tothe window glass sash 24. Other means to secure the mounting plate 13 tothe window sash, such as clips, may also be used. The height of themounting plate between its lower and upper bases is predetermined inaccordance with the size of the door and the distance from the windowsill 19 to the window sash 24, so that when the mounting plate issecured to the sash, the cover strip 11 is recessed below the outerwindow sill 19.

As shown in the drawings, except FIG. 5, the mounting plate istrapezoidal in shape, with the lower base 16 substantially parallel toone edge of the support strip 12 and with outwardly slanting sides 14extending from the lower base 16 of the plate to the upper base 15. Theslanting sides give added strength to the plate. However, it is to beunderstood that the mounting plate can be rectangular 60 as shown inFIG. 5 or can be modified in shape to fit any special window sash whichmay be installed in a vehicle.

As noted above, the position of the mounting plate 13 in respect to thelongitudinal dimension of the support strip 12 depends on the positionof the window glass sash 24 in the vehicle door. As illustrated in thefigures, the mounting plate 13 which was designed to fit onto the windowsash of a 1981 Oldsmobile Omega model automobile was constructed to becloser to one end of the strip than to the other end to meet the windowsash. As an illustration, for a 1981 Oldsmobile Omega model automobilethe cover strip 11 is 20 inches (50 cm.) long and approximately one-halfinch (1.3 cm.) wide, and the support strip is 20 inches (50 cm.) longwith a height of approximately one-half inch (1.3 cm.). The mountingplate 13 has an upper base 15 width of approximately 13 inches (33 cm.),a lower base 16 width of approximately 4 inches (10 cm.), and a heightfrom the lower base 16 to the upper base 15 of approximately 4 inches(10 cm.). The sides 14 extend to approximately 51/4 inches (13.3 cm.) ofone end of the support strip 12 and 13/4 inches (4.4 cm.) of the secondend of the support strip. The openings 17 in the mounting plate aredrilled to hold three-sixteenths inch (0.5 cm.) bolts. The aforesaiddimensions fit 1981 to 1984 Oldsmobile Omega cars and 1980 to 1984 BuickSkylark models. When the mounting plate is secured to the window sash,the cover strip is recessed approximately one inch (2.5 cm.) below thewindow sill.

The device is installed by removing the inside panel of the vehicle doorto expose the window sash. In most late model automobiles, the windowsash 24 is a plate formed with openings 41 to receive bolts and thewindow glass 23 is formed with matching openings 44. The glass isfastened to the sash by means of bolts 42 through the matching openings.The window sash 24 is formed with a second set of openings 41 to connectthe sash to the window regulator plate 35 and mounting plate 13 by meansof bolts 18. A window regulator (rod and toothed wheel shown generallyby numeral 37) allows a person to raise or lower the window by turningthe handle 36 which is mounted on the inside panel 22 of the vehicledoor.

To install the lock cover, the bolts 18 and 42 are removed from thewindow sash, the mounting plate 13 is drilled to form openings 17 tomatch the openings 41 in the window sash plate 24 and the lock cover issecured to the sash 24 by means of bolts 18 or by other fastening means.There may be some variation in the structure of the window sash invarious model vehicles, but the fastening means to be used to secure themounting plate to the sash will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

In a modified form of this invention, electrical switch means aresecured to the mounting plate. The switch is of the normally open typeand is electrically connected to the horn relay system, the switch beingof the type which will close the circuit to the horn when the switch ismoved, as by tampering with the lock cover. In order to secure theswitch, the mounting plate may be formed with an additional opening 38.A switch 39 having a movable plunger 40 is secured in the opening 38.The switch 39 is of the normally-open type when the plunger 40 iscompressed within the body of the switch. Such switches are readilycommercially available. The switch 39 is electrically connected bywires, shown generally by the numeral 50, to the horn relay 56 which islocated in the motor compartment 59 of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 10,the switch 39 is mounted against the glass 23 so that the plunger 40 iscompressed by the glass within the switch body 39 and the circuit to thehorn relay 56 is open. As shown in FIG. 11, if the rigid strip is priedaway from the glass or is tampered with by means of, for example, ahammer 45 and chisel 46, the device 10 is forced away from the glass 23,the plunger 40 of the switch 39 extends out of the switch body, therebycompleting a circuit to the horn relay 56 which causes the automobilehorn 57 to blow continuously. The switch 39 must be disarmed, or a wiremust be disconnected at the relay, to stop the horn from blowing.

As shown schematically in FIG. 12, for a four door vehicle, each of thedoors, namely the right front door 51, right rear door 52, left frontdoor 53 and left rear door 54 is provided with an electrical switch 39mounted in the lock cover device as described above; the switches areelectrically connected to the horn relay 56 located in the motorcompartment 59 of the vehicle. The horn relay is electrically connectedto the horn 57 with the entire system being energized by the battery 58.As is understood, the horn relay is also energized by manually pressingthe horn button 55.

The utility of the lock cover device is best illustrated by reference toFIG. 9. A modern vehicle door lock is controlled by four leversinstalled between the outside panel 21 and inside panel 22 of the door20. The outer door handle (not shown) for opening the door has a pushbutton or similar device 27 connected to a lever 28; the lock cylinder29 which permits the driver to open or lock the door from the outsidewith a key is connected to lever 30; th release handle 31 located insideof the door is connected to lever 32; and the inside push-button orsliding lock lever 33 used to lock and unlock the door from the insideis connected to lever 34. All of the levers are connected to the doorlock 26.

In respect to the inside lock control 33, it should be noted that wherethe lock control comprises a horizontally sliding lever recessed withinthe door below the window sill (not shown), the present invention willprevent tampering with the lever 34. However, if the inside lock controlconsists of a push button extending upward from the window sill, a thiefcould gain entry to the car by forcing a rod through theweatherstripping surrounding the window frame and manipulating thebutton to release the lock. While it does not form a part of thisinvention, it has been found that it is a relatively simple mechanicaloperation to reverse the lever 34 and connect it to a push button 33installed at a lower position on the inside panel 22 of the door, asshown in FIG. 9. This repositioning of the window sill lock permits thelock cover to effectively cover all of the levers controlling the lockand thus, protect the vehicle from unauthorized entry. As noted above,the installation of the lock cover does not interfere with the operationof the various lock levers, all of which can be operated in the normalway.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only, and while specificembodiments have been described with some particularity, manymodifications and variations of those embodiments will occur to thoseskilled in the art without deviating from the invention. Accordingly, itis to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced other than as specifically described orshown.

What is claimed herein is:
 1. A motor vehicle lock cover protectivedevice for a motor vehicle door having an outside door panel, a doorlock with a plurality of levers controlling the locks, window glass anda window sash designed to hold the window glass, comprising:(a) a coverstrip of rigid material of predetermined length and width tosubstantially cover the space between the vehicle window glass and theoutside panel of the vehicle door; (b) a rigid support strip extendingdownwardly along the length of one edge of the cover strip at a rightangle to the cover strip; (c) a rigid mounting plate extendingdownwardly from the free edge of the support strip at a right angle tothe cover strip, the plate having an upper base along the edge of thesupport strip, a lower base and two sides, the opposed ends of thestrips extending beyond the ends of the upper base of the mountingplate; and (d) means to fixedly secure the mounting plate to the windowsash for movement therewith, the mounting plate being positioned at apredetermined distance along the length of the support strip and beingof predetermined height from the lower base to the upper base wherebythe mounting plate extends to the window sash for securing thereto andthe cover strip is held in a position recessed below the window sill. 2.A lock cover in accordance with claim 1 wherein the cover strip and thesupport strip are equal in length.
 3. A lock cover in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the mounting plate is formed with a plurality ofopenings to match openings in the window sash, the securing meanspassing through the matched openings to secure the mounting plate to thesash.
 4. A lock cover in accordance with claim 3 wherein the securingmeans comprise bolts.
 5. A lock cover in accordance with claim 1 whereinthe mounting plate is trapezoidal in shape, with the lower basesubstantially parallel to the upper base and with outwardly slantingsides extending from the lower base of the plate to the edge of thesupport strip.
 6. A lock cover in accordance with claim 1 wherein themounting plate is rectangular in shape.
 7. A lock cover in accordancewith claim 1 wherein electrical switch means of the normally-open typeare secured on the mounting plate and electrically connected to the hornrelay system to close the circuit to the horn when the switch means aremoved.
 8. A lock cover in accordance with claim 7, wherein:(a) themounting plate is formed with an opening to receive the electricalswitch means; and (b) the electrical switch means comprise a body memberhaving a movable plunger, the body member being secured in the openingof the mounting plate, the circuit being open when the plunger iscompressed within the body member, and the plunger being held in itscompressed position against the window glass, the plunger extending outof the body member to complete the circuit to the horn when the mountingplate is moved away from the glass.